If the thought of networking sends shivers down your spine, rest assured, you’re not alone. Especially for introverts, the prospect of “putting yourself out there” can feel intimidating. But as Comprehensive Copywriting Academy student Lizzie discovered, every relationship and opportunity starts with making connections.
Join us as we delve into Lizzie’s journey, where networking played a pivotal role in transitioning from her old job as a business analyst to a full-time, three-months-booked-out copywriting pro! Discover Lizzie’s top secrets to network building as an introvert, insights on thriving as a copywriter with ADHD and autism, and some of the incredible opportunities that have stemmed from networking for Lizzie.
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Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[1:35] CCA student Lizzie, a former business analyst who always loved the writing part of her job, started freelance writing back in 2020. Last year, she transitioned to full-time freelancing and is seeing great success!
[2:49] Lizzie shares advice on transitioning from a full-time career to copywriting and how networking has played a huge role in helping her land work.
[5:12] Lizzie recommends more structured networking for people who are introverted because they have a more predictable format which minimizes social anxiety.
[6:06] Switching tasks to maintain productivity and relying on structured working hours and consistent processes have helped Lizzie thrive as a copywriter with ADHD and autism.
[7:00] For Lizzie, not niching down has allowed her to be as productive as she is. Her business analysis background has also been helpful in supporting businesses with strategy around their marketing.
[8:11] In terms of pitching and networking, Lizzie has found that when you focus on giving, it’s a lot easier to build up your client base.
[10:52] Networking can help you reach dream clients by tapping into the six degrees of separation and can lead to a lot of unexpected opportunities. Lizzie has been invited to lots of exciting events like celebrity galas and awards ceremonies!
[12:47] After networking events, it’s always important to follow up. Lizzie does this by asking for one-on-one meetings to understand potential clients’ businesses better. This builds rapport and helps her make effective referrals, increasing her chances of getting future work.
[14:57] Copywriting opportunities are not just limited to where you live—there are a lot of opportunities out there. Lizzie has a diverse client base, ranging from local to international clients, including one in Hong Kong!
[16:46] Lizzie has been surprised by how often she’s asked to ghostwrite books. Many people have great ideas but struggle to write them down, making copywriters and content writers essential in bringing those ideas to life.
[17:30] If you’re considering going into copywriting, Lizzie encourages you to take the leap! Spread the word among friends, get on LinkedIn, and start networking. You’ll find tons of resources and potential collaborators through making those connections.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“Absolutely network. Most networks, people are there to help you and want to help themselves, they cant help themselves if they’re not in a group of successful people. So they want to help you be successful because it helps them be successful. So absolutely network your heart out because it also helps you with your cold pitching as well. So you don’t need to do one or the other, a combination of both is always best.” – Lizzie
“I think the reason I’ve got a lot of work is because I don’t put forward that impression of really salesy which is quite hard for people when what we do is selling material. But being free with that information that you have, appearing the expert that you are is really helpful because people go, ‘They clearly know what they’re doing.’” – Lizzie
“People remember you. I’ve now become ubiquitous in my city, everyone knows and is like, ‘Oh it’s you!’ And I’ve literally only been doing it for 8 months, and you get invited to things. I’ve been to more events that I never would have thought I would be invited to in my life before just from starting this and everyone’s like, ‘Oh you’re the copywriter’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I am the copywriter!'” – Lizzie
“Speak to all your friends, all your work colleagues, tell everyone that this is what you’re doing because it gives you a set of warm leads to immediately go to. Get a profile on LinkedIn, make it clever, make it fun. Don’t be exactly the same as everyone else. Don’t expect it to go viral or anything overnight, mine definitely hasn’t but it’s sort of just building traction. And go and network. If you’re introverted, there are networks out there for you, there are online networks. Go and talk to people because the more you talk to people, they might help you in other ways. You’ll find your accountant that way, you’ll find your web designer that way, you’ll find the designers that you want to work with if you want to get those spec pieces.” – Lizzie
Mentioned on this Episode
Related Links
- The One Question That Makes Copywriting Networking Easy
- Can an Introvert Be a Successful Copywriter?
- Thriving as a Neurodivergent Copywriter – Cleo’s Story
- How to Elevate Your Profile & Land Copywriting Clients on LinkedIn
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